


Begin Again

by cabeswaterblakes



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Co-workers, F/M, Fluff, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Past Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy, Past Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Pre-Relationship, Single Parent Draco Malfoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:13:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27549658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cabeswaterblakes/pseuds/cabeswaterblakes
Summary: After a long week at work, all Draco wants is a peaceful night at home before the holidays take over, but his son has other plans that involve decoration assistance in the form of Hermione Granger.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 26
Kudos: 217





	Begin Again

**Author's Note:**

  * For [softblakegriffin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/softblakegriffin/gifts).



> Many thanks to my beta, slytherinchaser, for her help in perfecting this story, and to inadaze22 for helping me figure out the summary. Any remaining mistakes are my own. 
> 
> This is for Sara, thanks for cheering at me, sharing breakdowns with me and bullying me into writing. I hope you like this giant piece of fluff, babe, happy evermore day!
> 
> Titled after Taylor Swift's song, Begin Again. The accompanying moodboard for this story can be found [here](http://petalsfordraco.tumblr.com/post/637146307743678464/begin-again/).

It’s shortly after dinner when he notices the owl flying outside his window, patiently waiting to be let in. He knows it’s from work because it is delivered by a Ministry owl, and he wonders what emergency will require him tonight, already annoyed at someone attempting to drag him from the warmth of his home. The past week at work was insane, and it had him moodily fixing the mistakes of several other people in his department, leaving him feeling drowsy and tired by the time the weekend came around. Draco was looking forward to spending a quiet evening at home with his son before the craziness of all the holiday events that filled up his planner took over his days. 

Opening the window to receive the note, he notices a blizzard is falling all over town, snow piling up on the roofs and the streets, making the view from his house the scene of every winter postcard with all the Christmas lights already adorning his street. That, added to the smell of the bare pine standing tall next to the window makes him realize the holidays are creeping in faster than he thought. 

Unfolding the note with one hand, he reaches for a mini snitch that was flying close to his waist with the other before it flies out of the window and into the London sky. Thinking Scorpius must be looking for it, he puts it in his pocket while he skims through the message and closes the window. 

_Malfoy,_

_Sorry to bother you off work hours. I was looking through some notes on the werewolves legislation and found something worth discussing with you that could be added to our latest draft. Would you mind if I came over?_

_Hermione Granger_

_Head of the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures_

_Ministry of Magic_

Well, if anyone is going to interrupt his evening, at least it’s not any of his daft coworkers.

Looking around his living room, he notices there aren’t many toys thrown around the room, a rarity for a Saturday night. Quickly owling back his reply, he agrees on meeting Granger in his office at home in fifteen minutes, giving him just enough time to figure out what his son is up to. All the silence is starting to make him suspicious. 

Picking up the toys as he goes, he goes from his living room down the hallway leading to the other four rooms. What would be considered a big apartment by everyone else’s standards —and a downgrade when compared to the expanse of his childhood home—, is the perfect home for him and Scorpius. It has just enough space for both their bedrooms, an office and a guest room. He’s learned to love it, and so has Scorpius. 

When he reaches his son’s room, he knocks on the open door, noticing the little boy is busy putting all the spare toys in their right place. Not a single book seems to be out of place, all of them neatly organized in the small bookcases near the boy’s reading nook. The shelves meant for his toys seem to be organized as well, with Scorpius fixing the quidditch figures that were piled on the wrong teams. 

Definitely suspicious. 

“Hey buddy, you missed these in the living room!”

Quickly turning around and looking surprised, the blond kid runs to him, takes the toys out of his arms and continues to organize them by teams. 

“Thanks Daddy! I’m putting everything on its place, just like Twinky does.” He smiles, satisfied with himself. 

“Why’s that Scorp?” Draco questions him as he offers the boy the snitch he kept in his pocket. 

“Because I’m a big boy!” Scorpius replies, puffing his chest out and standing on his toes, as if trying to show his dad how _big_ he is now that he’s five going on six. Draco finds it utterly adorable. 

“Hmm is that so?” He plays along, as he nears the boy’s closet with him following along. Taking out the pajamas he has insisted on wearing all December —red fleece with dragons wearing Christmas hats—he walks out of the closet and lays them on the boy’s bed. “Big boys eat all their veggies, you know.” He didn't miss the fact that Scorpius moved his aside during dinner. 

Turning to look at him, Draco sees his face contorted by disgust at the thought of his least favorite vegetable. 

“But I don’t like spinach, Mommy never made me eat it.”

It's been almost two years since Astoria passed away, after growing extremely weak shortly after giving birth. While healers all over the world couldn’t find a way to save her, they did manage to buy her time. What could’ve taken her away in a year, miraculously slowed down and allowed her to enjoy almost four years with her small family, making sure Scorpius had joyful memories of her, of them together, that he could look back on all thanks to magic. 

Grief is a hard emotion to go through, but Scorpius seems to be processing it all in a healthy manner, thanks to the mind healer his aunt Daphne recommended they attended. There are still days where Scropius asks for his mom, where sadness seems to be overtaking him and all Draco can do is hold him through it and chase the dark cloud away. However, lately those days have been far and few between, making space for more positive mentions of his mother, like this one. 

Draco squats until they’re at eye level, and motions for his son to come into his arms. Hugging him, he tries to play this in his favor and whispers in his ear. “You know, your mom loved spinach. You’d be making her extremely happy by eating it.” 

Scorpius looks back at him with eyes narrowed, half tempted by the idea of sharing something with his mom, and half suspicious of the veracity of this statement. 

One last try. 

“Who do you think ate all the spinach you left over? Your mom, of course.”

Hesitantly, he says. “I guess I could try it next time.” 

“That’s all I ask. Now, what do you say we read a book tonight? Sounds good?”

Looking at his watch, he notices it won’t be long until Granger shows up at his office. 

“Yes! But you—” 

He can’t let Scorpius try to scurry out from his promise of trying spinach, not when Granger will be here any minute now. 

“Listen Scorp, I have to finish some stuff in my office. How about you keep playing in here, put your pajamas on, and when I’m done we can read. Maybe I’ll even be persuaded to let you have hot chocolate before bed.” 

“Yes, but dad—” He’s cutting it too close. 

“No buts! Deal?” Draco points a finger at him, as if trying to make sure he’s still in agreement. 

Scorpius huffs. “Deal.”

“I’ll be in my office.”

He ruffles his hair and walks out of the bedroom, entering the room just in time to see Granger come out of his office Floo.

Draco closes the door behind him as he takes her in. Tonight Granger is dressed in black dress pants, heeled boots and a long camel coat, her hair wildly flying all over her face. In her arms she’s carrying several folders. So much for the “few” things they would go through. 

Always prepared, that Hermione Granger. 

She looks good too, he’s quick to notice. Although Draco had ignored it for months, knowing she was engaged and soon would become one more Weasley, it’s been painfully hard to ignore lately. 

“Oh, hi Malfoy,” she greets, running her free hand through her hair. “Sorry to bother you, but I was at work and I noticed something we could use in our favour.”

“It’s okay, I had no plans.” Draco notices how _old_ that makes him sound, but then he realizes. “Why were you at the Ministry on a Saturday night, anyway?”

He walks past her towards his desk, nodding to the chair in front of it, both of them settling in for the evening. 

Looking slightly ashamed, Granger avoids his eyes and starts playing with her earring as she scans the bookcase taking over the right wall of his office, as if this was the first time she’s looked at it. They’ve been here before, both of their packed schedules forcing them to meet sometimes off work hours, with her coming through his office Floo with late minute ideas she wants to go over with him. 

“Uh, I find work helps to take my mind off—things. So I went in today in an effort to distract me.” 

Ah, yes. The thing that’s making it harder and harder to suppress the _unnecessary_ and _unasked_ for crush he seems to have developed on her. 

It’s been all over the papers for three months now, how Granger and Weasley called off the wedding after almost a year of being engaged and a few of them dating. Neither of them gave explanations as to why, they only made the break up public and since then the press latched onto them, trying to get an explanation to no avail. Draco wishes he knew more about it, if only to satisfy his curiosity, as well as to have a way to stop the ridiculous theories Pansy and Theo bother him with ever since the news broke. However, he doesn't believe they're friendly enough for her to freely divulge that information, or for him to feel truly comfortable asking her. 

He can make her feel less awkward about the overworking issue, at least. 

“I understand, probably more than you think,” he tilts his head in what he hopes comes across as a sympathetic gesture. 

It doesn’t take long for Granger to catch on to the fact that he’s speaking about losing Astoria.

Even though it was conceived as an arranged marriage, and he walked into it with zero to none expectations about it, Draco is lucky enough to say he really loved her. He wasn’t _in love_ with her, but he was well on his way. Astoria was sweet, caring and had a soothing presence that helped Draco during those awful months following the end of the war. Against the odds, they formed a happy family. Draco thought he was set for life, so losing her, well, it hit him harder than he ever expected. 

If Draco thought becoming a father at 23 was too soon, it was nothing compared to being a single father and a widower at 28, as the press took upon themselves to remind him shortly after his wife’s passing. Many nights saw him holed up in his office at the Ministry, instead of at home, avoiding the rumors and his grief while his sister-in-law or his mother took Scorpius in, until he snapped out of it and got his shit together. Now, the memory of Astoria doesn't hurt like it used to. She lingers, but she doesn’t haunt him. He has moved on. 

“Yeah, I guess you do.” Granger’s returning smile is a little sad, and she straightens in her seat, coming out of her trance and switching to business mode. “Anyway, I came over because going through old records, I noticed some irregularities on previous cases taken to the Wizengamot regarding werewolves. Since you’re the law expert here, I wondered if you could help me go through them, see if it’s worth a shot referencing them in the next draft?”

"Let's see what you have.” 

At this, she hands him her neat notes on the files. She quickly dives into explaining her findings, backing her claims with references from the case records and soon the spark is back in her eyes. 

Draco has to admit he doesn’t know much of this Granger—the grown up version he’s gotten small glimpses of in the past few months. He can recognize a few tells here and there that stuck to his memory from their years at Hogwarts: the deep frown when she's trying to figure something out, the pursed lips and harsh stare when she listens to something she doesn't agree on, her sharp tone and her nose high in the air during arguments. 

While Draco is still trying to put together what he already knew and what he's learning of her on his mind, one thing he knows for sure: to him she’s always the most alive when she’s fighting for something, putting her whole self into her cause. It’s a trait that annoyed him to no end while growing up, and he now finds terribly appealing. 

If only his fifteen year old self could see him now. 

He’s worked with Granger for close to six months now, ever since she decided she wanted to take a legal stand on the blatant discrimination against creatures coming from the very antiquated and prejudiced members of the Wizengamot. As the newly appointed Head of her department, she was striving to make change from the moment she assumed the position. While to everyone’s surprise her years-on-the-making House Elves campaign had been successful, her proposal for a Werewolves Protection Act was met with derision instead. Soon Granger noticed her battles were cut short unfairly, and set off to find someone who could give her an in to the inner workings of the Wizengamot most prejudiced members while still helping her with her proposal. 

Hence their partnership. 

When Granger came to him, hesitant on her approach given their history but firm on her beliefs, Draco agreed to help her. It was a very much needed project and he couldn’t turn away the chance to make up for his previous mistakes, either. Since Mother and Aunt Andromeda reconnected shortly after the war, he found this was a way to honor the memory of his cousin Teddy’s father and late Defense Against the Dark Arts professor as well.

Of course, Draco had seen Granger around the Ministry over the years, but their interactions rarely strayed from a curt nod or brief acknowledgement of the other when finding themselves alone in a lift. The same could be said for the rare instances in which they came across each other while out and about Wizarding London. 

Their first interactions one on one were full of stilted conversation, but after a tense afternoon in which Draco apologized for his past behavior, things started to flow nicely between them, taking them to a cordial and _almost_ friendly place. He wouldn't call Granger a friend per se, considering they rarely discussed anything personal, but he found they made a good team when working together.

By the time their partnership began, she was already engaged. There was no need for her to fill him in on that, since the press seemed to be determined on figuring out when Granger and Weasley would set a date for the highly anticipated wedding, after a year of engagement. 

However, it didn't take a genius to notice something was off. 

Draco could tell something was going wrong only from the two or three times a month he met with Granger. Previous to the start of their collaboration, she looked the part of a happy fiancee: ring sitting proudly on her hand, happily discussing wedding ideas to whoever asked about it around the office. As Draco started working with her, he noticed her mood decaying, as well as the way she avoided engaging in talks about wedding planning. Draco noticed she would tense up whenever questions regarding the date or starting a family came up, so he refrained from participating in said conversations, choosing to respect her boundaries. He never asked her about it, and she never said, both sticking to professionalism. 

The tension seemed to rise and rise, not only in Granger, but in Weasley as well, judging by that one time he saw him speak harshly at a reporter when asked about Granger, while shopping with Scorpius on Diagon Alley. Draco wasn’t prone to gossiping, but he secretly wondered if they would make it, or what it would take for them to finally snap—and how disastrous the fallout would be. 

Halfway through their collaboration, Draco caught Granger visibly cringing when his secretary made the mistake of asking her if she had set a date yet. The day after that, it was announced that the engagement was over. She took everything in stride, facing the constant judgement and whispers on the Ministry hallways with tight eyes and steely determination. As the weeks passed by, the post break-up tension left her body, except now with the holidays getting closer, it seemed to be back. 

Snapping out of his thoughts, Draco realizes thirty minutes have passed and they’re already halfway through the cases she dug up, when the door to his office opens. 

Scorpius is standing on the doorstep, wearing silver tinsel as a scarf on top of his holiday pajamas. He’s too excited and impatient to notice the guest sitting in the office, running straight to his father’s side, and pulling on his arm.

“Daddy, daddy! You said we could set up the tree today. Are you done, can we set it now? I don’t want to _read_.”

 _Fuck._ The tree. He tries his hardest not to curse out loud. 

Slowly, the pieces come together in his mind, and he drags his hand down his jaw as the realization settles in. Him last weekend, taking Scorpius to the Christmas tree farm in Wiltshire, and his son trying to drag the tree they chose on his own. That same night, promising the eager kid that if he behaved all week, they could get started on Christmas decorations the next weekend. Scorpius setting the table for dinner tonight, then picking up his toys, then promising to try spinach. 

He should’ve known. No, he shouldn’t have _forgotten_. 

When Draco turns to where Granger is sitting, he notices she’s chuckling at the sight in front of her, no doubt realizing his lapse of memory and trying to hide her grin behind one of her files. The sound of it surprises Scorpius, who turns quickly to inspect the guest with thinly disguised curiosity.

“Hi,” he greets her, cocking his head to the side, as if he was trying to figure out her intentions and how much of a threat she poses to his plans of setting up the Christmas tree. He looks the part of a Slytherin and for that, Draco holds back laughter. 

“Hi sweetie,” Granger smiles and waves at him, and judging from the way his son relaxes, he can tell she has already won him over. Looking back at Draco, she’s quick to apologize. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even consider you’d already have plans. We can continue this on Monday—”

Granger is quickly putting her files together, no doubt looking to leave as quickly as possible. Scorpius never takes his eyes off her, still assessing the situation. Draco knows the moment his son reaches a decision, because his eyes lit up the way they always do when he thinks he has a _great_ idea. 

“It’s okay! You can help with the tree. Are you a friend of my dad?” _What?_

The invitation startles Granger, who stops sorting the files on his desk and looks up at them with a puzzled look on her face, which he assumes is hesitance at Scorpius’ invitation. Figuring she might be looking for an easy way out, he adds. “Granger, it’s okay.” 

He takes note of the way she plays with her left earring, spinning it in its place, a tell of when she’s considering something. Draco doesn’t have the time to unpack why he knows what that means. He's observant, so that _must_ be it.

“I am a friend of your dad. And that sounds like a lot of fun, but I don’t want to impose.” She gives Scorpius a hesitant smile. 

When Draco told her it was okay, he meant it was okay if she refused the invitation and left for home. From his very short experience dating this past year, most women run away when he mentions Scorpius. Not that anything about this resembles a _date_ , but if it did… well, Draco would understand her leaving. Her seriously considering the offer never crossed his mind, but if she says yes, he won’t be turning her away. Given his growing attraction to the witch, unexpected time spent with her is always welcome—besides, don’t people say you should never look a gift horse in the mouth? 

“Daddy, can she stay? Please? She can help us pick all the right cornaments _and_ the lights _and_ she can have the hot chocolate, too!” 

“They’re called ornaments, Scorp,” he tells him somewhat distractedly, still processing the change of plans. “And Miss Granger can stay, but only if she wants to. Maybe she already has other plans.” 

Grinning conspiratively at Scorpius, she gives in, putting the files inside her bag and setting it down on the vacant chair next to her. “Well, I’m never one to turn away some hot chocolate.” 

Scorpius squeals and Granger’s grin gets wider. With that he notices all pretenses of continuing to work are over, so he makes for the door, signaling Granger to come along. His son is already dragging her down the hallway, the excitement of meeting someone new as well as from setting up the tree too much for him.

Draco looks at them while they’re walking in front of him, his son interrogating Draco’s very own childhood nemesis and her giving the infant her complete attention. It feels surreal, watching them interact. 

“Are you called Granger? Is that your name?”

Amused, she explains to him. “It’s my last name, but you can call me Hermione.”

“My last name is Malfoy! And you can call me Scorpius.”

They reach the living room, and with a flick of his wrist, boxes of Christmas decorations appear on the hardwood floor next to the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city. Another flick of his wrist and the winter candles Pansy insisted he put on the fireplace mantel light up, slowly filling the room with the scent of vanilla, cinnamon and cedarwood. 

“It’s really nice to meet you, Scorpius.” Granger tells him and Scorpius just grins at her like she hung up the stars in the sky. 

"You too." The little boy sits down on the carpet and starts digging through the lights and the ornaments, taking them out of the box and setting them on the coffee table. Suddenly, Scorpius stops and looks up, sporting his best inquiring face. “If you’re a friend of my dad, why haven’t we met before?”

“Well, you dad is a really busy man, and so am I.” Granger answers as she takes off her coat and drapes it over the tuxedo sofa next to her, leaving her with a white cozy-looking sweater on. She turns to look at father and son, hands on her hips. “So, what’s the plan?”

After reminding Scorpius that _no_ , he can’t cover every single surface in the house with tinsel, they break off into different tasks. Draco and Scorpius sort through the boxes, picking what decorations will go up this year as Granger starts untangling the lights. 

Long before they got married, Astoria travelled with her family to Sweden and spent the holidays over there, quickly falling in love with the muggle decorations. That’s the reason she made them decorate the muggle way every year, down to the stuff they’d use and how they’d place it, and that's a tradition he intends to keep. It’s something Scorpius gets to have of his mother long after she’s gone. If Granger finds any of it strange, she doesn't say.

“When did you meet my dad?” Scorpius asks as he tries to join the brunette in untangling lights instead of looking through the boxes, the excitement of meeting a new person, someone who on top of everything knew his dad, competing with the excitement of Christmas decorations. 

“A long, long time ago. We were only a few years older than you, actually.”

“Do you also decorate your tree with your parents? My dad and I help Grandma Cissa decorate every year.” Scorpius comes back to the ornaments box, and chooses to go with the red, green and gold ornaments for the tree. While those are the classic colors for Christmas, the meaning behind them given who they’re with doesn’t go unnoticed to Draco. 

He’s also grateful the glass ornaments are charmed so they don’t break, because Scorpius, in his excitement, has dropped quite a few of them while talking to Granger. 

“When I was little I used to decorate with my parents. We’d go pick the tree as soon as December started, and I always ran around the farm looking for the perfect tree.” Granger is so entranced in her memories that now she’s just staring at the mess of cords and lights in her hands, smiling softly at them. "They let me choose it every single time, no matter how ill fitting they thought it was.”

“ _I_ picked ours this year! Are you picking it this year?” Scorpius’ question seems to bring her out of her reverie, the smile dropping quickly from her face. 

“No—it’s complicated, sweetie.” Draco doesn’t miss the way Granger chokes on her words, trying to avoid what must be a difficult subject. Vaguely, he remembers hearing that her parents don’t get along with her and he wonders why that might be. She sounds extremely fond of them, and he finds it hard to believe they wouldn’t adore her when Wizarding London certainly does. 

Scorpius doesn’t miss the change in her mood, either. “It’s okay. I get sad when I talk about my mommy, too.”

“Oh. I—” She looks up to Draco, her eyes a little blurry, and looking unsure how to go from here. 

Before Draco can interrupt, Scorpius continues animatedly as he inspects every single ornament. “But daddy always says it’s better to think of the good parts, like when mommy let me pick the colors of the wrapping paper for everyone’s gifts!” 

“Your dad is right, that is excellent advice.” Gratefully, Granger smiles at the kid before looking up at Draco and smiling. His heart skips a beat. She changes the topic quickly. “Now, which lights do you want, the coloured ones, or the white ones?”

Scorpius goes for the white ones and slowly, the awkwardness fades away and they start sharing things they loved from their respective parents as they work. Draco can see Granger loosening up, her shoulders relaxing and her smile coming easily as she speaks softly and animatedly to Scorpius. She’s good with kids, he remembers. Besides the few encounters at the Ministry, he had seen her around Diagon Alley a few times over the years, shopping with Weasley and playing with the Potter kids at the playground near Diagon. 

Granger talks about taking pictures with her parents as a kid and mailing them off to their relatives, then helps Draco in hanging a string of lights under Scorpius’ careful direction. Scorpius mentions watching Astoria bake his favorite dessert —apple pie— as he chooses the ornaments he wants to hang on the tree. Granger tells him about decorating gingerbread houses with her cousins back when she was his age, as she picks up each ornament, adding a hook to them before handing them to Draco for him to hang up.

They work slowly, with Granger dropping her tasks now and then to chat with Scorpius. Draco can’t bring himself to care or to interrupt their conversation. A part of him acknowledges that it’s dangerous, letting Scorpius grow fond of someone who’s not staying in his life. However, another part of him tells him that maybe, just maybe, it would be okay if he did something selfish for once, if he kept talking to Granger because _he_ , Draco Malfoy, _wants_ to. 

For the past two years, he has put Scorpius’ needs ahead of his own and while he has no regrets on that front and has done so gladly, he’s come to the realization that it’d be okay to do things for himself too. He tried dating when Pansy suggested it might do him good to put himself out there once again, but Draco quickly gave up on that when it became evident women were after him for money, or expected him to prioritize them over Scorpius —as if that would ever happen. 

But Granger.... she _is_ different. 

Watching her interact with Scorpius captivates Draco, he marvels at the way Scorpius seems at ease around her when he’s usually shy around strangers, and the way Granger behaves around him, so warmly and open, happy to indulge him with answers to every question he comes up with. All Draco can do is watch, careful of not disturbing their bonding all while hope blooms dangerously inside him. 

A little over an hour and dozens of questions later, Scorpius falls asleep on the sofa, mere moments before they finish setting up the tree. Draco drapes a blanket over him, watching him snuggle into it in his sleep. Tomorrow he'll be disappointed he missed the hot chocolate, but he'll be happy to know they saved him the honors of putting up the Christmas star. 

“Thanks for indulging him, Granger. You didn’t have to give up your night for us.”

“No, thanks for having me over. I know I was probably the last person you expected to have over for this, but—I had a good time.” She hugs herself and admits to him, “I think I needed this. The season, without Ron, well—it’ll be hard, this year. So thank you.”

Draco notices how she’s debating what to do next, as if she’s unsure if she’s still welcome now that Scorpius is asleep. He catches her eyeing her coat draped over the sofa and before she can say goodnight, he gestures to his kitchen. “I believe you were promised hot chocolate."

Nodding with a smile, she follows him, sits on a stool by the kitchen bar as Draco works, and they go a few seconds in comfortable silence. He can feel Granger’s eyes on him as he works but he decides on keeping his eyes elsewhere as he works on their beverages, then as he sets the cinnamon and the whipped cream on the table between them. All while he tries to find the right words. 

When he's done, Draco retrieves the gingerbread cookies Mother sent and that he had hid from Scorpius, before taking a seat in front of Granger across the bar and handing her a cup. The smell of cinnamon and chocolate overpowers the smell of the candles he lit up earlier, and he's surprised Scorpius is somehow still asleep. 

Looking up at Granger, he finds her staring straight at him. He gestures at the set up in front of them, inviting her to prepare her drink to her liking. 

Hesitantly, he adds, "I don't think I mentioned this before and I should've, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry—about your engagement.”

Granger looks taken aback, breaking eye contact and staring instead at the corkboard hanging on the wall with Scorpius’ drawings and pictures of them pinned to them. He understands her surprise, because they’ve been working for months after the break up, they even met the day after the news broke and he never brought it up. Draco never found the right time—or words— for it, but something shifted between them tonight, making it feel appropriate. He hopes he’s not overstepping, and that she felt the shift between them, too. 

“It’s okay. We both agreed it was for the best, but thank you." She moves for the whipped cream then, speaking as she adds a spiral of it to her cup. "It’s been hard. I’ve spent the holidays with the Weasleys for so long, it feels weird not having plans this year." Granger sets down the whipped cream can and winces with embarrassment. "Sorry—that was probably oversharing.” 

“They kicked you out?” He wasn't expecting that. None of it, in fact. Draco thought she might thank him and might want to avoid the topic at all costs, but she’s surprised him—once again. 

Draco adds a generous amount of whipped cream to his own cup, and when he looks up, Granger is scrutinizing his drink with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smile. She knows of his sweet tooth—having seen him eat plenty of sweets while they work. 

“No, not at all. Molly made it clear that I’m welcome for the dinner party but I know she’s still hoping I’ll fix things with Ron. We don’t want to give her, or anyone else, false expectations when it’s really over.” 

Granger takes a sip of her drink and some of the whipped cream sticks to her upper lip. Draco follows the way she licks it off and berates himself for focusing on the movement when they’re talking about something so serious. 

She doesn’t look _devastated_ , but she looks like someone who just lost a loved one, and in a way Draco supposes she did. After all, she had been a part of the redheaded family for so long, was even _marrying_ into it, it must be difficult to redefine her relationship with all of them. While Draco is indifferent to all of them, he can, at least, sympathize with the situation Granger is in. 

He notices the brunette avoiding his gaze and running her finger along the ear of her cup as she talks. “So... I'm putting some space between us, which means now my holiday schedule is pretty open. A shame, because I’ll miss the kids terribly.” 

Finally, she looks up at him with a wistful smile and the selfish, hopeful part of him he’s been fighting all night wins. He decides to simply give in. 

Before Draco can stop himself, or think about this some more, he blurts. “Well, if it is, I’m sure we can fit in another seat at our table, if you were up for it.”

Granger seems surprised by the invitation, and he notices a blush creeping on her cheeks. Draco finds he _likes_ surprising her, for a change. “That’s so kind of you Malfoy, but really, I’ve already imposed on you too much, I don’t want to intrude on another private occasion.”

“Nonsense. Don’t feel pressured by it. It won't be that private, or even formal. It’s just dinner with friends.I know you’re familiar with my aunt Andromeda and my cousin Teddy. They will be here too, if it helps to have some familiar faces.” 

“That’d be really nice,” she sips on her cup and for a minute they sit in blissful silence, both of them finishing their drinks. He notices her gaze drifting to the corkboard again, eyes going over the pictures hanging on it. Draco’s worked with Granger enough to be able to tell when she’s debating whether or not bringing something up, so he waits patiently as she frowns at her cup and he can tell the moment she makes her choice. She meets his eyes and only shows a little hesitation before asking. “I know this might be too personal, but is it rough for you two, without Astoria?”

Draco is a little surprised at the boldness of her question, so it takes him a few seconds to come up with an answer. Earlier on he assumed she was only open and forthcoming for Scorpius’ benefit, but he’s glad to see that her confidence extends to him as well. 

“Nevermind, I’m sorry I—” she tenses up and shakes her head, picking anxiously at a cookie. 

He settles for telling her the truth. 

“Granger—it's alright. And not really, not anymore. Last year was hard. It was Scorpius’ first Christmas without his mom and he misses her, we always will, especially him but—we’re moving on. Astoria would’ve wanted that for us.”

“I’m glad to hear that. And by the way, I’m sorry for your loss, I never got to offer you my condolences—before. Scorpius is a lovely boy and you—you’re a wonderful father. It’s good that you have each other.”

“Thanks, Granger.” Then, referring to the melancholy that seems to cling to her, he adds. “It’ll get easier for you too, you know. Give it time.”

He smiles at her and she returns it tentatively. After that, Draco refills Granger’s cup, she changes the topic and they stick to lighthearted conversation. 

Granger tells him about Potter’s kids, pointing out one of them is Scorpius’ age. He frowns when he realizes there’s a chance he’ll eventually have to _befriend_ the man and her laughter fills up the kitchen with warmth when she notices his expression. When Draco tells her about Scorpius’ letter for Santa and confesses to not knowing where to find some of the items on it, she suggests muggle stores in which he can find what he needs—going as far as to offer going shopping with him. 

It's nice, watching Hermione Granger drop her defenses and unwind. She already looks calmer, at peace. Draco feels that way, too, and he wonders if this is simply the effect she has on everyone she comes in contact with. 

Half an hour later, Draco is carrying Scorpius to his bed and Granger is collecting her coat from the sofa as well as her bag from his office. Just before she leaves, he reminds her.

“Granger,” she turns to look at him just as she was nearing the fireplace, and he can’t help but notice how pretty she is. Her eyes are expectant, her mouth is set on a subtle but soft smile and his heart jumps at the possibility that look is for _him_ . How is it that she’s making him feel like a schoolboy with a crush? He’s a _father_ and he’s nearing _thirty_. “I meant it, about Christmas dinner.” He doesn’t want to make her feel obligated to come, but he hopes she knows the invitation will stand. He hopes she takes it. 

“Thanks, Draco. Let me think about it, okay?” She squeezes his arm and with that she disappears into the green flames. And while he’s reeling from her touch, he doesn’t miss the way she used his first name. 

~-~

Three weeks later, he can see a thick layer of snow covering the whole city from this window. He’s watching as his Aunt Andromeda shows Mother how to work a muggle camera. Scorpius is playing with Teddy by the fireplace in the living room, both sneaking glances at the boxes underneath the Christmas tree, as a charmed train set circles them. There’s still an hour to go before they serve dinner and the only ones missing are Pansy and Blaise—and maybe, _hopefully_ , Granger. 

Draco doesn’t want to get his hopes up, but he thinks it’d be nice if she chose to join them for dinner. They’ve talked more in the three weeks since Granger came by his house asking for his help, effectively cementing his crush on her. To avoid overthinking all the ways in which tonight could play out, he entertains himself by making predictions with Theo about the quidditch league and then by explaining the menu he and Scorpius came up with to Daphne in the kitchen. They’re in the middle of discussing dessert when the doorbell to his flat rings. 

“Was that the front door?” Daphne asks, confused. Everyone else arrived either by Apparition or Floo. 

“I’ll get it, it must be Pansy—you know her flair for the dramatic.”

When Draco opens the door to his flat on Christmas night, Hermione Granger is standing there. Rosy cheeks, dark eyes, red lips, hair carefully styled in a low bun, nervously looking at him. She never confirmed she'd come, and he never pressured her on it. He's surprised she showed up at his door when she could've Flooed over. 

“Hi,” she greets him and then rises up on her toes to plant a lingering kiss on his cheek. She attempts to give him a hug with one arm, as her other is otherwise busy holding something else. Draco is too stunned to fully return the embrace, trying to remember if he’s ever seen her kiss Potter or Longbottom on the cheek. He can’t recall. 

Granger has surprised him again and again, and Draco can’t be bothered to keep up with the count. He wonders if he’ll ever get over the thrill of getting to know her. Draco has always known she's smart, but he has been delighted to discover her dry humor as well as her sharp wit. He didn’t know friendship with her apparently also came with kisses on cheeks. He’s okay with it, although that doesn’t help the growing attraction he feels for her. 

Since that day with the tree they've met several times, some of them for lunch and under the excuse of working on the case, but others simply as friends, like when she accompanied him on his weekend hunt for Scorpius’ gift or when they met for coffee at a spot near her flat one chilly afternoon. 

Snapping out of it, he replies to her greeting. 

“Hey, glad you could make it.” He’s happy she could join them and he knows Scorpius will be ecstatic to see her. 

As she steps back, he notices the container she was holding with her other arm, and she hands it to him as soon as she’s on his entrance. Draco extends his free hand, gesturing to her coat and the coat rack next to him. When she hands it to him, he notices she’s wearing a shimmery champagne colored blouse and a black skirt. Merlin save him, she is gorgeous. 

Gathering as much courage as he can find within himself, he adds. “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks,” she blushes, smiling down at her feet and Draco is gone, gone, gone. When she meets his gaze, something in her snaps and she starts talking—very fast. “I hope you don’t mind me crashing last minute. Also, I knocked because I felt bad just Flooing in.”

“I told you you were free to join us, didn’t I?”

“You did. I just feel bad I never confirmed.” She nods to the container he’s holding and rambles nervously. “That’s apple pie. I baked it myself, hopefully Scorpius will like it, I don’t mean to overstep, but I, well—I remembered.”

He's touched that she remembers such a small thing from a boy she had just met. “Thanks, Granger, I’m sure he’ll love it.”

Draco is so focused on her thoughtful detail and trying to dissect the rush of affection it brought on him, that he almost misses when she earnestly says, “Hermione.”

“What?” He looks up at her, slightly confused. 

“Call me Hermione.” Her smile is wider, warmer, hopeful. 

“Okay, Hermione.” The name rolls off his tongue quite easily and he smiles at the feeling. He notices the way she blushes and he feels drunk with victory that he brought out this reaction.

Her eyes twinkle. His heart roars.

Maybe, just maybe, there is _something_ here. He's not exactly thinking of asking her out on a date, not so shortly after her fallen engagement, or their newly blooming friendship. 

But maybe one day. _Soon_ , his hopeful heart tells him.

He can hear Scorpius calling for him, “Daddy! Who is it?”

At the sound of him, Hermione looks excited, flashing him a smile. Draco returns it—the beating of his heart building up and up with anticipation—and nods towards the hallway, where the rest of his friends and family await. She walks past him purposefully, head high and mouth set in a grin, Draco’s free hand on her lower back guiding her into his home.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays! If you liked it, comments/kudos are very much appreciated. 
> 
> Feel free to join me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/petalsfordraco) or [tumblr](http://petalsfordraco.tumblr.com/)


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